Movie notes: The good … and the bad/ugly?

It was a bit disheartening but not surprising to read that “Definitely, Maybe” finished last in the box-office sweepstakes of the four major-studio releases on Valentine’s Day. An adult-oriented romantic comedy, it didn’t stand a chance against a budding family franchise (“The Spiderwick Chronicles”), a sci-fi thriller (“Jumper”) or a Disney teen-appeal sequel (“Step Up 2 the Streets”).

Hey, I did my best. I saw it on opening night with my wife, then took the whole family and my just-turned-80-year-old mom to see it over the weekend. Mom’s not keen on seeing many movies these days; she doesn’ t like the high volume levels, especially in the previews. The last movie she remembers seeing with us was “the naked guy on the motorcycle” movie. That would be “Waking Ned Devine” (1998).

Anyway, box-office analysts are predicting “Definitely, Maybe” should have some staying power, which is a good thing. In a season of poorly reviewed romantic comedies (“Over Her Dead Body,” “27 Dresses,” “Fool’s Gold”), there’s no maybe about it  it’s a keeper.

The afternoon before I went to see it, I heard New York Times film critic A.O. Scott lamenting the sorry state of romantic comedies in a Valentine’s piece on NPR. That topic had been the subect of his article the previous Sunday in the Times, but I was relieved to hear him say had he seen “Definitely, Maybe” before writing it, he would have cited it as a refreshing exception.

In his review of the movie, he noted: “I’ve been known to complain about the abysmal quality of contemporary American romantic comedies, which forsake intelligence, individuality and emotional risk for crude sex jokes or gauzy bridal-magazine fantasies. While ‘Definitely, Maybe’ is hardly perfect, it navigates the choppy waters of modern courtship with commendable, understated honesty. Perhaps the best evidence of this is that this movie, unlike almost every other Hollywood tale of New York singles, was actually filmed in the city.”

Anyway, the NPR piece was a relief, since it was the only romantic-comedy option on Valentine’ Day, and because the star, Ryan Reynolds, is know primarily for being Alanis Morissette’s ex-fiance and for starring in bad movies (“Waiting …,” “The Amityville Horror,” “Van Wilder”). But he acquits himself well as Will Hayes, the about-to-be-divorced dad trying to explain his past relationships to the force of nature that is Abigail Breslin, playing his 9-year-old daughter who just had her first sex-ed class.

Most romantic comedies are forced into a standard template so predictable, you can see the outlines. They start with what Roger Ebert calls a Meet Cute; then love slowly blooms until some silly misunderstanding (usually someting that could be rectified with a single sentence) drives them apart. Then there’s the inevitable race against time and distance to make things right.

“Definitely, Maybe” also has a template, but it’s different. We’re presented with three women, and we have to figure out along with Breslin which one her mother is. Reynolds tells the stories with honesty, sparing some details but tripping over others (“What’s a threesome?” Breslin asks. “It’s something grownups do when they’re bored,” Reynolds replies, then appears greatly relieved when she doesn’t press him for more details.)

But the main thing is, it presents relationships in all their giddy, messy and devastating glory  and makes the point that timing is as important as attraction, especially once college fades into the background and the dating pool dries up for the unattached. Sometimes, finding the right person is just pure dumb luck.

Oh, and the second time, I noticed that Will had a Yo La Tengo poster in his apartment. Nice!

The bad/ugly

It’s no surprise that Larry the Cable Guy’s “Witless Protection ” isn’t being screened in advance for critics. The “Blue Collar” comic’s movies are never screened, mainly because (as one analyst wrote this week) they’re dependable, lowbrow moneymakers made cheaply and taking advantage of Larry’s built-in audience.

But untll today, I bore no ill will toward ol’ Larry. Then while downloading movie stills for Weekender, I ran smack into this image.

If you’ve seen the commercial, you know what’s about to happen  Larry’s fixin’ to get a body-cavity search. He warns, “I wouldn’t do that if I was you.” The next thing you hear is, “Officer down!”